The link between literacy and health has been evidenced quite well, with studies indicating that people who struggle with literacy are also more likely to have poor physical health. However, what we know about the relationship between mental wellbeing and literacy is much more meagre. There is some evidence to suggest that higher levels of mental…

Describes how the author helps his students understand the power of books and the impossibility of predicting what book will profoundly affect a person, by asking two questions: "What book made the biggest difference in your life?" and "What was that difference?" Describes the profound impact on the author's life of John…

Reflects on the author's own personal background as a reader, including how television led her to more books and sparked her interest in a literary career. Discusses why, in a technological society, people care about literature. Argues that the Internet has its valuable uses, and that literature and technology can be good friends. (SR)

Describes a teacher's experiences reading aloud with two preschoolers in a homeless shelter and how the interaction increased the children's print awareness and ameliorated the stress of being in the shelter. (HTH)

Offers children's answers to the question, "Why do we listen to stories?" Explores what a group of second graders had to say about literature, imagination, and the place of stories in their own lives. Discusses the role of literature in unleashing imagination, helping humans see the big picture, and how "knowing the old helps us make the new." (SR)

Offers a classroom vignette that describes how the author invites students to collect pearls of wisdom (memorable quotations in books) as a source of inspiration. Offers an example of such a quote that stimulated rich discussion in a sixth-grade classroom. (SR)